What is provincial government doing about B.C. mine spill, residents ask

Shelley Jordan

Image Credit: The Canadian Press/Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations

September 09, 2014 - 5:00 AM

VANCOUVER - Residents of the small British Columbia community of Likely, downstream of a mine breach, say they don't trust that the provincial government is dealing with the disaster.

More than a month after the failure of the tailings pond at the Mount Polley mine released 17 million cubic metres of water and more than seven million cubic metres of slurry, cottage owner Carla Zanotto says area residents aren't getting any answers.

Zanotto, whose family draws water from Quesnel Lake, says she fears the potentially toxic sludge is not being cleaned up and the province is doing nothing but monitoring the destruction, instead of taking action.

Opponents of the mine held a news conference in Vancouver today to demand a mine moratorium, though there few representatives from the local area involved.

The news conference did attract several oilsands and liquefied natural gas protesters, who released a report of their own containing many unsubstantiated allegations about the spill, the company and the province.

OPINION A report has recently stated that the average cost of food will inflate near double its average annual rate. This does not include fresh produce and most animal proteins. The inflation for these products may t